Darth Vader and the Lost Command
by Candace Marie
Summary: After Anakin Skywalker's Fall to the Dark Side, Palpatine weaves lies and stories around him. Can Darth Vader sort out and find the truth before he falls too far? What if there was a second chance for him to go back and save Padme would he take it or choose to remain forever hidden in the Darkness?
1. Chapter 1

The Creation of Darth Vader

Year One

This is how it feels to be Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, the man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with no Fear, if you use the term man loosely. The first dawn of the universe brings you pain, it will always bring you pain. The light burns you, it will always burn you. Part of you will always lie upon black glass beside a lake of fire while flames chew upon your flesh. Part of you will always see the last thing you ever saw: Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man that was like your father; like your brother, scooping up your lightsaber and shaking his head sadly as he left you to die, as your tunics caught fire igniting and searing your flesh.

You can hear your mechanical breathing. It comes out hard and harsh, scraping nerves already raw, but you cannot stop it. You cannot even slow it down. Mechanisms hardwired into your chest will pump oxygen in your bloodstream….forever. You see with eyes that are not your own, the red hue of the mask giving you virtual input of your environment as the sensors pick up things you couldn't have seen or heard with normal human eyes and ears. The Emperor has saved your life, and you owe him everything. You swore your life to him for sparing yours, you are completely under his command, and a lifetime of servitude awaits you. But what else is there? This is how it feels to be Darth Vader….for now.

Darth Vader was now able to move about on ungainly legs as he reached his master's throne room, bowing for him. "What is thy bidding, my master?" he asked.

"How are you feeling today, Lord Vader?" The Emperor asks his pet in mock-concern.

"I am the same as always. Can I ask you something, my master," Vader asked, still in his kneeling position. The Emperor sipped his tea, as he dismissed the Red Guards.

"Of course, my friend," he said, with a small benevolent seeming smile, "You can ask me anything you like. Rise, my servant," he said, and Darth Vader put his hand on the floor pushing his mechanical limbs to the point of standing. He was taller than he used to be…he had always been tall, but he wondered why the Emperor had gone through the trouble of making his figure more imposing, hadn't he cut a commanding enough figure as he had been?

"H-how did Padme die?" Darth Vader asked again.

"Must you force me to torture you, Lord Vader," the Emperor asked, seemingly tired of the same question.

"It was all Obi-Wan's fault, of course. I told you he couldn't be trusted, I told you to be mindful of the currents within the Force, did I not?" he asked, and Darth Vader hung his head in shame. "He baited you, drove you mad, and in your anger…you killed her. It is truly a tragic event. The Jedi counted on it…of course. They didn't want to see you happy; they feared you, your marriage, and any offspring you were to produce. Powerful Sith they would have become," the Emperor said. "They aren't to be trusted, and I have decided to cheer you up, the task of eliminating the Jedi will be left up to you, my friend."

"Thank you, my master," Darth Vader said, "I will make them pay for the destruction of Padme and our child."

"This Empire will be built upon the death of Senator Amidala and your child…just wait and see. I have a press conference that you must attend. Yes, I know how tiring they are, but you must attend. After all, if it hadn't been for me, you too, would have died at Kenobi's hand, and you would have been lost to me. I don't require anything but your presence today. Soon enough we will continue with your training," he told his servant.

Darth Vader stood by silently as Emperor Palpatine spoke to the press. "Hello, my people. Today, I would like to reveal to the public the truth behind Order Sixty-Six, I have with me, Commander Cody of the 212nd and Darth Vader who have worked tirelessly to uncover the plot of the Jedi. We have lost many lives thanks to the Jedi who manipulated the entire war, from the beginning. Was it not Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi who at Genosis sparked the ire of both the Trade Federation and founded the Separatist movement? I have since learned that Anakin Skywalker suspected the Jedi Master of treachery and that was why he had followed his master to Genosis. Again, was it not the once Jedi Master, the Count of Serrano, who founded the Confederacy of Independent Systems? Make no mistake about it, Count Dooku was a Jedi. And not a fallen Jedi as they would have you believe, and certainly not a Sith. Why it was Anakin Skywalker who worked closely with my friend Darth Vader to uncover the lies and deceptions of the Jedi. Darth Vader was one of the few Jedi that Anakin Skywalker trusted with the secret of his wife. Yes, you heard correctly, Anakin Skywalker was married to Senator Amidala, who as we all now know was expecting her first child. When Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader went to confront Obi-Wan with evidence of his treachery, he attacked, murdering Senator Amidala in front of the helpless Hero of the Empire. He was numb with shock and grief that a Jedi could murder a child, his child, his unborn child," Palpatine punctuated the thought, as horror rung throughout the square.

"You see Anakin Skywalker wasn't the only Jedi to break their Code. Obi-Wan had also broken the Code, he had fallen in love with the Duchess Satine, they have been working against the Empire, against the Republic, combined they would have destroyed the Republic, but Anakin had gotten to Mustafar before Darth Vader could assist him. He had gotten there just as Obi-Wan had murdered his wife, and they fought, Anakin Skywalker died a true hero, trying to stop the tyranny and the oppression of the Sith. It was the same reason Anakin Skywalker had defeated Count Dooku to end this war. The Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi is still at large, and though Skywalker's body has not been found, we will always honor him, as the Jedi who protected the Republic. Darth Vader arrived to see Obi-Wan tossing Skywalker's body into the lake of fire, and they fought. Darth Vader was gravely injured, but with help of the Galaxy's best doctors, he lives as a testament to the evil of the Jedi, and the righteousness of our cause. It is said that when Senator Amidala heard of the Galaxy becoming an Empire she said, 'This is how diplomacy thrives, with thunderous applause.' We will forever honor both Anakin and Padme Skywalker, it is upon their blood in which the Empire will flourish and they will never be forgotten. If you see or spot a Jedi, do not hide them, do not help them, they are enemies of the state, and must be handled with extreme caution. It is with regret that I pass a ban on the use of Force powers without lawful permission, if you see anyone practicing the Force illegal, do the right thing, do the Empire a favor and turn them in. My new elite storm troopers are here not just to serve me, but to serve you," the Emperor said as he turned and Darth Vader and Commander Cody followed him.

The Emperor turned to Lord Vader. "I am turning the 501st over to your command, Lord Vader. You remember Commander Cody, of course."

"Yes, you served under General Kenobi," Darth Vader said to the Clone who still wore yellow on his clone uniform.

"Commander Cody is aware of your **former** identity, and you can trust him as you trusted CT-7567.

"My master, I appreciate such rewards, especially after my failure on Mustafar but I would prefer to have my own commander. We have worked well together for the last three years. Where is Captain Rex?"

"Oh…him?" the Emperor asked. "He was having some difficulty following orders. He has been sent for retraining, but most of your squadron has remained intact. Cody will temporary take over Rex's position in your squadron," the Emperor explained. "He is quite loyal, I assure you. I gave him the Order for Order Sixty Six personally."

"If I had known that General Kenobi was deceitful, I would have done more to find him….General Skywalker….Lord Vader."

"You will refer to my apprentice as Lord Vader," the Emperor snapped.

"Of course, your majesty."

"I have commissioned for you to have your own ship, any kind you want, as long as it wields power for the Empire."

"The Jedi never rewarded…."

"We are **not Jedi**!" Sidious said forcefully. "You did quite well, today, Lord Vader, and I believe the galaxy bought it."

"You made it seem like I never was Anakin Skywalker," Lord Vader mused.

"You don't want the Jedi guessing who you are and come after you. Trust me, it will be much easier dealing with them, if they don't expect your identity," the Emperor told him. "Now you are free to chase as many Jedi as you would like, just return within the month, we have training to go through, to turn you into my heir."

"Of course, my master," Darth Vader said.

"Come Along, Cody, we should check Mandalore. Obi-Wan would surely hide out there. Do you remember Mandalore?"

"Yes sir, it was the Duchess Satine's home planet."

"Then let's get Fives, Echo, Jesse, Tup, and Kix ready."

"Commander Alpo and Vill will be joining you as well as Admiral Yularen," Palpatine told him.

"Of course, my master. Assemble the 501st," Darth Vader ordered. "Master, what happened to Artoo?"

"Artoo? Relax, Darth Vader, we will find you a suitable astrodroid, Artoo units are a dime a dozen and he was way too outdate for the Second in Command."

Darth Vader nodded but he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Artoo. Darth Vader was fit was a black Arnine design. He was just a droid, Darth Vader thought; he didn't have the personality of Artoo. Darth Vader headed for one of the Empire's star cruiser as he led his team on a mission to Mandalore.


	2. Year One

Year One

This is how it feels to be Darth Vader. You can't hear or see in the way you once did anymore. Sensors in the shell that prisons your head trickle meaning directly to your brain. You open your scorched-pale eyes; optical sensors integrate light and shadow into a hideous simulacrum of the world around you. Or perhaps the simulacrum is perfect, and it is the world that is hideous. It is in this blazing moment that you finally understand the trap of the dark side, the final cruelty of the Sith - that now yourself is all you will ever have. And you rage and scream and reach through the Force to crush the shadow who has destroyed you, but you are so far less now than what you once were.

You are more than half machine now; you are like a painter gone blind, a composer gone deaf. You can remember where the power was but the power you can touch is only a memory. And so with all your world-destroying fury it is only droids around you that implode, and equipment, and the table on which you were strapped shatters.

In the end, you cannot touch the shadow. In the end... you do not even want to. In the end, the shadow is all you have left. Because the shadow understands you. The shadow forgives you. The shadow gathers you unto itself. And within your furnace heart, you burn in your own flame. You knew that there would have to be a sacrifice to join the Dark Side, to acquire the power to save Padme. You thought the sacrifice was the Jedi, only now do you realize that Padme was the sacrifice and you willingly sacrificed her to the Dark Side, destroying what was best inside you. This is how it feels to be Darth Vader….for now.

The man inside of the monstrosity of Darth Vader, even after several months, was shocked when he woke up to his reality. He was shocked not to see his wife at his side, or Obi-Wan or even Snips. He was shocked at the heavy dead weight of his body, of his three new mechanical limbs, only his right arm felt natural, which of course it to was mechanical. Commander Cody had become his friend, as his master wanted. Darth Vader had visited many planets that they had visited during the war, sure that Obi-Wan would turn up on one of them. Naboo, Teth, Christophis, Onderaan, the list went on and on. Obi-Wan was nowhere to be found. Darth Vader suspected that his friend, the Emperor was being less than honest.

The truth was after Obi-Wan showed up on Mustafar, he couldn't remember what had happened, and his mind had been so clouded with the dark side, the power so raw and so new that it seemed to take over his body. The last thing he did remember was calling out for Obi-Wan, and then screaming out as Obi-Wan walked away leaving him that he hated him. Perhaps, Darth Vader hadn't meant it then…but he did now. How could Obi-Wan just leave him to burn no matter what his crimes? He would find Kenobi and he would suffer as he had suffered.

There were many days that Darth Vader woke up still expecting to be Anakin Skywalker, that all this had just been a horrible nightmare that the Force that had sired him wouldn't leave him to this fate. He was the Force's own son; surely it wouldn't leave him completely alone and hugely disfigured. It was then that he realized the truth. He had never been alone, he had just believed he had been, and now except for the Emperor he was totally alone, and there was no going back, he was darkness, he was death, he was a disturbance in the Force.

Darth Vader had a plan, he had finally broken parts of the Emperor's security clearance and since all Clones looked alike he would be able to pass Rex off as any other Clone. The plan was brilliant, although if his master caught him, he would suffer, but he felt as if he owed it to Ahsoka, he owed it to Rex to set him free, whether he joined him or escaped would be up to him. Darth Vader hated the sound of his voice, and he wasn't so ignorant as to not notice how the Emperor's eyes followed him around more than a slight smile on his face. He was glad that he had ended up this way.

One day, the Emperor would fall, just as he had told Padme. Emperor Palpatine had eventual put out a bounty for the capture of Anakin Skywalker, and Darth Vader had to smirk at that. It was interested seeing as how no one but Darth Vader himself could ever collect on the 200,000 credit bounty. There were none that could find Anakin Skywalker as he was not the Sith Lord Darth Vader, although Vader didn't feel like a Sith Lord, but a fallen Jedi. After all of Sidious's promises he still hadn't taught him anything yet, other than to focus on his hate. He had plenty of hate to go around. Hate for the Jedi, for Obi-Wan, and yes, even for Palpatine. How had the Jedi fooled his wife? Even now he couldn't hate Padme? He was afraid to hate her, would he not lose the most basic part of himself, the part she had fallen in love with?

Anakin Skywalker had been weak, Darth Vader was not weak, and in his spare time, he developed and changed his Form V, incorporated other elements to protect his control box, so that he would never be deceived, he was still working on perfecting it, after all he wouldn't be able to implore the acrobatics from his favorite Form while in this suit, and it left him vulnerable. Truthfully, he wasn't ready for face his own master yet. Not until he had mastered his lightsaber form, he would defeat Kenobi as he had defeated Dooku, and Darth Vader smiled, a hideous smile past the mask as his eyes that could not be seen glowed a sickly yellow, and a snarl was emitted for his emulator, at the image of Kenobi on his knees before him, begging for his life. He should have left him in the prisons of Zygerria, he thought, remembering the image of Kenobi broken and beaten and how he and Ahsoka had rescued him, and how did he repay him...Darth Vader thought angrily. How many times had he saved him? Vader would have never turned on Kenobi…but that was the past…his sole reason for living now was the extermination of the Jedi Order and most of all Kenobi.

The Emperor had many different stories spread of him and Skywalker, as well as the death of his beloved. There was a story that a pack of Jedi had attacked her, deeming her child worthy of joining the Order, and taking it by Force, that had been one of Anakin's fears. Darth Vader shook his head as he found where Rex was being kept and he snuck in turning off his breath mask for a short period of time, this suit, he mused not for the first time, had definitely not been built for stealth. He heard Rex's screams as he watched the Red Guards assault him with a slaver's lightning whip. He waited as they switched shifts, and was able to delay the shifting of shields, as he used the Force to undo the bindings that held his Clone Commander down. Rex looked right at him and spit at him. Darth Vader hadn't been expecting that.

"You are a Sith, I will never betray the Republic," he said.

"I know, Rex, you are a good soldier. The best, in a tight jam there's no one who thinks on his feet better," Darth Vade complimented. "Now you've got to get out of here, I made you a promise, never to leave a man behind, and I intend to make good on my word. You can either stay or come with me. I will be switching you with another Clone, but we have to be quick about it," he had told him.

"You are a Sith?" Rex questioned again, meeting the eyes on his faceplate.

"I am, but like you they are just titles between us. I know you Rex," Darth Vader intoned, and Rex nodded.

"Hey, after the General Krell incident who am to judge what a Sith or a Jedi is," he said, with a weak smile. "You aren't going to put any one in the 501st here, are you?"

"Just one that has proven most untrustworthy," Vader replied remembering his talk with Vill, how he wasn't at liberty to say if there was an Order to eliminate him. He had been the Emperor's apprentice for less than a year and already there was an order to get rid of him. It had been the will of the Force that Villa had fallen into his hands that way. "You must never answer to Rex again, from now on you are Villa," Vader explained to Rex.

"Are you…." Rex stopped; something about this man's demeanor reminded him of his commanding officer.

"The Emperor doesn't see Clones as people…just because we are behind a mask doesn't make us any less human," Vader told him, ignoring the unanswered question,

"Right, General….Skywalker," Rex questioned as he was handed storm trooper uniform and a blaster.

"Dark Lord of the Sith, Lord Vader," Vader corrected.

"Sir, yes, Sir," Rex responded. Soon, Vader and Rex were able to incarcerate Vill and dye his hair the color of Rex's make him a carbon copy. Vader replaced Rex and Rex became Vill, Commander Vill, someone Vader could trust.

This is how it feels to be Rex. You don't know why, and you don't how, but you know that General Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side. You have never admired a man more than General Skywalker, he was always on the front lines, and he knew that his change to the Dark Side hadn't changed his ability to take command. You follow him, you aren't sure why you follow him, but you do. You don't care for the Emperor, he has never inspired you but you know that this new persona of General Skywalker's doesn't have a friend, and you feel it's your duty to remain by his side, so he knows he has at least one person he can count on. This is how it feels to be Captain Rex now named Vill for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Year Two

This is how it feels to be Darth Vader. For over a year you have been trapped within the suit, of Darth Vader, and you wonder not for the first time if this wasn't exactly what the Emperor had foreseen, if this wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he sent you to Mustafar to deal with the Separatists. The world around you feels distant, as far away as the dream you once had of freeing the slaves on Tattooine. You remember how idealist you once were, and you scoff bitterness and cynicisms replacing the ideals of youth. The world seems smaller, or maybe it is just your concept of the world that seems smaller, after all, the Emperor had told you that the Sith think only of themselves, and that is what you have begun to do as well. Your place in the universe is assured, who would have ever thought that a young slave from Naboo would end up one of the most powerful men in the Galaxy, you think, but the thought does not bring any sense of accomplishment, only a feeling of dark power. The place that you have now wasn't based upon any great feat on your part but on the death of the Jedi, there is more blood on your hands than you can ever cleanse, and yet, still within you, twisted, but still there, is a Code of Honor. This is how it feels to be Darth Vader for now/ Darth Vader turned and moved for the hatch but this is not walking, he thought.  
His alloy lower legs were bulked by strips of armor similar to those that filled and gave form to the long glove Anakin had worn over his right arm Prosthesis. What remains of his real limbs ended in bulbs of grafted flesh, inserted into machines that triggered movement through the use of modules that interfaced with his damaged nerve endings. Instead of using durasteel, the droids substituted an inferior alloy, and failed to inspect the strips that protected the electromotive lines. This causes the inner lining of the pressurized bodysuit to snag continually on places where the strips were anchored to the knee and ankle joints. The Boots were a poor fit for his artificial feet, whose claw-like toes lacked electrostatic sensitivity of his equally false fingertips. The boots are raised in the heel, canting him slightly forward, forcing to move with exaggerated caution lest he stumble or topple over. Worse, they were so heavy that he often feels rooted to the ground or as if he was moving in high gravity. What good is motion of this sort when one would have to call on the Force even to walk place to place! Within the year, Darth Vader had learned much in the war of the Dark Arts, although he knew that he would never become as clairvoyant as his master. He had reconstructed a lightsaber, this time a Sith lightsaber, though he had started off with a red synth crystal, it was now powered by a scarlet adegan crystal. He had wanted to please his master with a truly novel unique weapon, and he had tried to base it off of his masters. However, after examining the Sith lightsaber, it was as ancient as his master. Vader was still a young man in his twenties, no matter his outward appearance. Darth Vader had stared intently at the black alloy material, as he went into a deep meditation, as he once had as a Jedi. The lightsaber had a thick, ridged handgrip, and despite his desire to create something with more ballast, a truly unique weapon when he was finished, Vader looked at the weapon and saw a darker version of the lightsaber he had wielded for over a decade. The lightsaber seemed to mimic his old lightsaber from the high-output diatom power cell to the dual-phase focusing crystal. He couldn't help but marvel at the similarities as he wondered what Kenobi had done with his weapon. Both weapons had forward mounted adjustment knobs and beveled emitter shroud. When Darth Vader had first turned it on, it had emitted a spark of red light but felt ungainly, almost uncivilized. It wasn't the weapon Vader knew but the size of his mechanical hands. This forced Vader to make the grip thicker and longer than he had originally intended. Darth Vader experimented with a rounded emitter shrouded until he got it just right. With his new weapon perfected Vader was ready to carry out Operation Knightfall. "Commander Vill," Vader said summoning Captain Rex, "Report to my quarters," he said as the machines helped him out of his suit. Moments later, Captain Rex appeared behind him, this would be the first time he had seen his General without the frightening respirator and armor. Slowly, Vader turned around so that he was facing his most trusted Commander.

"General….Skywalker," Rex whispered, shocked, and in awe at the injuries. "Have you had Kix seen you?" Captain Rex said, clearing his throat. He took in the burnt skin, the same clear blue eyes. The scar over his eye though burnt and hugely disfigured was still there. This was the same man he had served with during the Clone Wars. This was the Hero With No Fear, the ambitious rash headstrong General that he had always known. "Sir," Rex said, regaining his military bearing. "What did he do to you?"

"The Emperor isn't responsible for that," Darth Vader's voice rasped, "Not entirely," he amended. "This suit leads something to be desired though," he said, as a ghost of a smile appeared on thin lips.

"Perhaps we could get Kix and we can do what we can to make you feel more like yourself," Rex continued. "You are still my commanding officer and I will stick with you until the end," Rex promised him, and he saw some shade of light come into his eyes, eyes that had seemed dead a moment ago finally had some light into them.

"There isn't much that can be done…yet," Vader told him, as Rex took a seat nearby. It was here that the two of them could talk like they used to. It was here that Vader allowed Rex to call him General, and here that he called 'Vill' Rex. "My legs were made of some less superior metal, I need to get my hands on some durasteel," Vader said, "Then I can fix my limbs," Vader said his mind on self-improvement, it was the reason he had shown himself to Rex this way.

"General, we should let some of the men in on the secret," Rex said.

"Just Kix," Vader said, "And if he breathes a word of it, my master will be very displeased."

"How many cybernetics do you have?" Rex asked him.

"They are prosthetics now," came the raspy voice of Darth Vader, "And four." Rex's eyes got bigger as he looked at the aforementioned limbs.

"I always knew about your right arm," Rex said, "Can I ask….what happened?"

This is how it feels to be Darth Vader. You have turned to the Dark Side. You have lost everything. Your wife. Your unborn child. Your place among the Jedi, even your reputation is gone. You aren't really sure who you are, you are dangling, still searching torn between the light and the dark. The Dark threatens to take over; the Dark stands there forever beckoning. But there is but one light, your longtime friend and captain, Rex. He is the last link between the past and the future. This is how it feels to be Darth Vader…for now.

Darth Vader's voice hitches as he explains in the only way he knows how, "I am only what my masters have made me."

"If I might say sir, self-pity doesn't suit you."

"No, Rex, it doesn't."

"You are much too young for regrets," Rex said, and was met with a bitter laugh as tears sprung to his eyelids. Rex wasn't good at affection, but he could tell the General needed a hug, and wished Commander Tano was around, she was much better at this than he was. Awkwardly, he put a hand gently on his shoulder and Vader reached up and clasped Rex's flesh hand with his mechanical right one.

"Thank you, Rex," he said, "For everything."

"You would do the same for me," Rex said, "And besides we never leave a man behind," he told him. "Have you ever thought of Cloning technologies," Rex asked him.

"I doubt they can do anything for me," he told his friend, "If I could be healed my master would have done so, wouldn't he?"

"I don't trust him."

"Then you are smarter than I was," Vader told him sadly, "Get back to your duties, before you are missed," Vader told him.

"Yes, milord," Rex said with a bow as he put his helmet back on and excited his chambers.


	4. Chapter 4

Year Four

This is how it feels to be Darth Vader. You have accepted your destiny, it was not your destiny to destroy the Sith, but to join them. You are the most feared sentient in the Galaxy, and you know those who know of you wonder if Vader is so powerful, how powerful is the Emperor? It is your presence that keeps his power? But one day you will usurp him that is your destiny. You ended the Clone Wars; you have brought peace to the Galaxy. You have now taken an apprentice, Galen Marek, whom you call Starkiller; he is your apprentice, and your adopted son. You are in charge of his life…or his very existence. It is a heady feeling, and the Dark whispers to you, that it is by your hand alone that he lives or dies. As the son of a Jedi, his life was yours to take, and you showed him mercy. This is how it feels to be Darth Vader….for now.

The Emperor has given Darth Vader permission to hunt any and all Jedi, and finally the time has come for the 501st to extract his revenge on Barriss Offee. He remembered her….very well. If it hadn't been for her actions, he might still be a Jedi, perhaps he should thank her. The _Executioner _was headed for Fullucia, where she was hiding. Most Jedi he cut down just gave him a chance to hone his skills, but this one….this was personal. He didn't know where his last apprentice had gone, and he had no intention of finding her. If it came down to it, Darth Vader would do everything in his power to keep her existence secret.

"I'm glad it's Barriss," Rex said to him. "I'm glad she will pay," he told Darth Vader.

"So am I…Vill, so am I," Darth Vader said, crossing his arms and waiting to come out of hyperspace. He remembered the accusations and the trial of his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, in which Barriss and Captain Tarkin had set her up. Today, Barriss would pay, and one day he would see that Tarkin paid as well. Besides, Kenobi, they were the only ones out there that would be personal to him. Darth Vader had his own men beside him, now called Vader's fist. Cody was still there, as the Emperor wanted. He was constantly telling Vader of how Kenobi's snuck around with a Senator….his Senator! Darth Vader had nearly exterminated Cody numerous times but had stopped assuming he would come in handy when they finally caught up to Kenobi. What had he done to Padme? How could they betray him? Even after four years it still hurt, it still burned worse than the lava bath Kenobi had thrown him into.

Once landed, Darth Vader ordered the stormtroopers to spread out and com him once they found her. Kix and Vill accompanied him. Darth Vader summoned the Dark Side to him, but there was so much life on this planet, it was difficult to get a good reading on her presence. Suddenly, he felt danger and used the Force to push his medic and his Captain out of the way, as he ducked himself.

"So the Emperor has sent his pet after me after all."

"You know," Vader said standing as he took his lightsaber off his belt, "Sometimes it's a chore doing ones duty, but for once I'm going to enjoy this," Darth Vader's enunciator said in the same mechanical voice. How Vader wished she could see the yellow of his eyes, how he wished he could see her reaction her fear with his own eyes. He felt the distaste coming off of her in waves and he licked his lips, sensing she was just a breathe away from fear, it called to his blood, invigorated his senses in a way that they had never been awakened as a Jedi.

"And what makes me so special, Vader."

"You will address me as Milord, and I will take you obiendence into consideration, I might be persuaded to make your death a quick one," Vader intoned.

"I will not address you as anything other than what you are, a pet, a slave."

"And you are a traitor," Darth Vader told her.

"A traitor to the Empire? Aren't all Jedi named as such?"

"I don't recognize you as a Jedi," Darth Vader told her. "You are still a padawan. You should have been one of the Lost, as I am," Darth Vader said calmly. He didn't ignite his lightsaber; he wanted her to know who he was before the light left her eyes. "Though I have killed many Jedi."

"The attack on the Temple that was you."

"It was no worse than YOUR attack on the Temple, please tell me you haven't forgotten that," he told her, wishing his voice could form the sarcastic tone he was known for.

"You remind me of someone," she said slowly.

"Perhaps, I should thank you," Vader told her silkily, "If it wasn't for you, I might still be a Jedi, after all it was you who stated how corrupt they had become, how they needed to die. It seems I just took a page from your book, after all." Darth Vader's mechanical hands clenched into fists. Darth Vader handed Vill his lightsaber. He wanted to kill her with his bare hands, with a flick of his hands, her lightsaber tumbled from her reach and Darth Vader sent it into Kix's. "No weapons today, Barriss," Darth Vader flicked his wrists. "First things, first though," he nodded to his stormtroopers. "By Order of the Emperor I attest that you have committed treason and treacherous acts against the Empire, including unlawfully practicing the Force as well as conspiring to execute the Emperor. The penalty is death. How do you plead?"

"I am no traitor."

"Oh but you are, and you know it, Barriss. Was Ahsoka Tano not your friend?"

"She was, of course," she said as he marched closer to her, his raven cape swirling behind her as one of his hands reached out and smacked her. She fell to the ground, and struggled to her feet.

"How does it feel to be powerless, to know that you can do nothing but accept your fate," he asked as he felt her fear spike and it called to him, but he had promised her a slow death and he was going to make this one last. She had made Ahsoka suffer, Ahsoka could have been executed for her stupidity, and this was one he was going to make suffer until she begged for death. He didn't expect an answer and he didn't get one. "You fought a war to bring about the destruction of the Jedi," he said, "Congratulations, you won."

"Who was Ahsoka to you? Did you love her?" Barriss cried out.

"Yes, I loved her," Darth Vader admitted.

"Do you think she would want this?" Barriss screamed out as Darth Vader kicked her in the solar plexus.

"It's too late for that," Darth Vader told her. "I turned you in once, this time your crimes warrant….death," he nearly whispered as her eyes went wide with fright.

"You are….her master. The Chosen One….Anakin Skywalker." Darth Vader pressed his hands over her mouth.

"That name has no meaning to me," he thundered as he moved his hands from his mouth to her throat, taking great pleasure in the way she clawed at him, broken of all civilities, as her blood rushed to different catipliliers of her body, as her heart beat faster, as her lungs stretched for air, and then everything began slowing down as she lost consciousness. He felt the Force leave her, felt her disappear in the Force and he looked down at his hands on her neck, at the bruises that had formed on her skin. He turned to the stormtroopers. "Report to the Emperor," he said as he retrieved both lightsabers and summoned his battalion. One less Jedi to worry about. The Emperor had been right it was revenge that were the seeds for justice. And justice had been achieved today, but still…she had been right, Ahsoka would have never forgiven him for this.


End file.
